ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US on Thursday condemned the “continued attacks” by Iran and its aligned armed groups against alleged American targets and energy infrastructure in Kurdistan and Iraq, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a phone call with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, also offering condolences for the recent killing and injury of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in one such attack.
In a statement, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) reported that Prime Minister Barzani and Rubio held a call on Thursday, during which the US top diplomat “expressed his condolences over the recent loss of the six Peshmerga [fighters],” reaffirming Washington’s “support for the Kurdistan Region and the Peshmerga forces.”
The Kurdish premier “expressed appreciation” for Rubio’s call and the continued US support “during this critical time.” The two officials also “exchanged views on the relationship between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government [in Baghdad], as well as on economic challenges.”
Six Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and more than 20 others wounded in missile strikes targeting a base in Erbil province early Tuesday. The attack came as pro-Iran armed groups have carried out more than 450 strikes on alleged targets in the Region since the onset of the Iran-Israel-US war on February 28, according to Rudaw tracking.
In a statement on Thursday, the State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott quoted Rubio as “strongly condemning the continued attacks by Iran and Iran-aligned Iraqi terrorist militias against U.S. citizens and energy infrastructure across Iraq.”
Pigott added that Rubio “expressed his gratitude” to the KRG for “enabling oil from Iraq,” including the Kurdistan Region, “to reach global markets.”
Erbil in mid-March approved a request by Baghdad to resume Iraqi oil exports via the Kurdistan Region’s pipeline to Turkey.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister Barzani then stated that “in light of the extraordinary circumstances facing the country and the responsibility that falls upon all of us to work toward overcoming this difficult situation, we have decided to allow oil to flow through the Kurdistan Region pipeline as soon as possible.”
He also thanked the United States for its role in the process, saying, “I express my gratitude and appreciation to our American partners for their role and support in this process.”
The Iraqi request came as Baghdad’s exports have largely been halted after Iran effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz in late February.
The KRG’s approval came despite its previous criticism of Baghdad for enforcing a “suffocating embargo” on the Region by restricting access to official-rate US dollars for traders and failing to “confront” attacks by Iran-aligned armed groups targeting the Region’s energy infrastructure.
Oil exports from the Kurdistan Region have largely been halted following repeated drone and missile attacks on energy infrastructure largely blamed on pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq.